Englishman Steve Knox has had a remarkable run of cricketing success in the last two years.

Captaining two New Zealand internationals, folk-hero Chris Harris and strike bowler Chris Martin, Knox led Christchurch's St Albans to the senior club two-day cricket championships on March 31 this year. This followed a thwarted defence of the English Minor County Championships, after winning the Eastern Division of the second-tier trophy for the second successive year.

The Cumberland team he opens the batting for won the second-tier Minor County Trophy outright against Western winners Dorset in 1999.

"This season was my third in Christchurch which in itself suggests a liking for the country", the likeable Cumbrian told CricInfo.

"I enjoy the easy-going nature of the people and the competitive attitude towards whatever sport they play," he continued, as he began an Easter break before the British season.

"I particularly like the fact that you can play with and against Test and first-class players, as opposed to in UK where the system is a lot less fluent."

This winter, arriving after the first match of 2000/01, (which was washed out), Knox started slowly, as did St Albans. His men were a lowly sixth in the South Island's premier club competition at Christmas. However, a run of three wins saw the team's first championship since 1993/94, culminating in a great climax. The Saints won by a single point from long-time rivals Marist.

"We had played four rounds and had the bye, but knew we needed a minimum three wins from the last four rounds," commented Knox before flying back to Manchester on April 2nd in order to fulfil work permit regulations.

Knox was at the crease with New Zealand A star Jarrod Englefield when the winning runs were hit in their nail-biting final victory against Sydenham. Earlier, in St Albans first innings, Englefield had added an unbroken 225 for the third wicket with One-Day International hero Chris Harris.

"Jarrod Englefield is a player with a big future. He scored four centuries for us this year on not great surfaces and is difficult to get out once he is established. One area for improvement that Jarrod would acknowledge is getting to double figures. What I mean to say is that he's a little bit of a sticky starter. Still only 20 though," Knox continued, still feeling the effects of the send-off the St Albans boys gave him after the tense final day of the season.

Knox's success came in his first, and probably only time captaining Saints.

"I thoroughly enjoyed captaining the side this season and working with the Test and first-class players", he added. The 27 year-old Englishman does not intend to return next year, aiming to fulfil residential qualifications to play for the Scottish national side.

"I can only play for Scotland if they get One-Day International status, so this will depend on not only their results but politics as well no doubt," he revealed.

Last season Knox made his highest score for Cumberland, 158 not out, again in a key end-of-season clash, this time with northern neighbours Northumberland.

The opener hit 59, with two sixes, in the first innings of the ensuing final, away on the South coast at Bournemouth. But Cumberland lost, although they will still play in the ECB 38 team one-day competition, which leads to the season's highlight for many of the players, a clash against a first-clash county.

Knox played in the NatWest Trophy, which preceded the ECB knockout, but in eight matches in both has yet to make the fifty that may have caught the eye of a top club. Last season he scored 397 runs at 39.70 for Cumberland, helped by the big Northumberland century, after an injury hit start to the campaign.

Knox commented, "I am playing for Cumberland in the coming season and have taken the vice-captaincy under my cousin, Martin Lewis, who is captaining the side this year. I'm hoping to increase my highest score for Cumberland, as this year we are playing three-day cricket as opposed to two-day cricket. Hopefully a double century is round the corner."

For St Albans, sometimes playing on indifferent pitches, he scored 666 runs at 37 per innings, with a top score of 72 against Marist. He added 198 with Englefield during that knock, one of six fifties he scored this season. Knox was also in the running for the WestpacTrust Player of the Season Award, with 16 catches in 15 matches and some useful wickets too. If he had been qualified, a first-class appearance, which he has never achieved in Britain, would have been probable. "With regards to the standard I would put it on a par with Minor Counties although when first-class players are playing it would be stronger. Wickets are poorer in general than Minor County wickets", he noted.

Knox scored 1548 runs in 46 games for St Albans from 1999-2001, at an average of 35.18. He made 13 fifties, with a top score of 81 not out against High School Old Boys. He also took nine wickets, as well as 40 catches, mainly at first slip. Knox succeeded fellow Cumberland representative Jon Fielding at St Albans. Fielding was recommended by Chris Harris while in Lancashire League cricket.

Much of Knox thoughtfully concluded provides a useful international perspective on New Zealand cricket. He believes, "the standard of club cricket in New Zealand varies greatly as to whether first-class boys are available or not. At the moment there is an argument that with the amount of first-class cricket being played there are too many clubs in Christchurch to keep standard consistently high. I would concur with this theory although the standard is far higher than club cricket in the UK in general." Canterbury Cricket president Brian Hastings, amongst others, has made the point that a nine club league, with a weekly bye is "unsatisfactory."

Knox continued, "the pitches in Christchurch were a disappointment in my three years in the city, with a massive gap between club and first-class surfaces. All five [of St Albans' first-class players] brought tremendous professionalism back to club cricket. Harry [Harris], Chris [Martin], Steve Cunis, Jarrod Englefield, and Jimmy Ward were easy to play with, yet all very different in nature. Squad atmosphere was such that it was irrelevant whether you played Test match cricket or were a one-day-a-week man. Everyone had a role to play and was treated as equal by myself. This doesn't necessarily occur all the time and is a credit to all the guys."

Other than Englefield, Knox was delighted by the progress made by young left-arm spinner Jimmy Ward, who made first-class debut at the end of February.

"He can turn the ball and provide an attacking option for his captain. He needs to work on bowling to players who are established at the wicket possibly by being a little more defensive and analysing his field placings better."

Knox, returning to the cold and Foot-and-Mouth disease-afflicted Britain, will be club professional for the third season at Penicuik CC who play in the Border Cricket League in Scotland.

"We are hoping to be promoted to the Scottish National Cricket Leagues after being denied at the final hurdle last year." All who have met him in New Zealand will wish the Cumbrian right-hander well in his goals for promotion and national representation in the future.

Final points (nine rounds): St Albans 92, Marist 91, East Christchurch-Shirley 74, Burnside West-University 62, Riccarton 61, Lancaster Park-Woolston 60. High School Old Boys 58, Old Collegians 43, Sydenham 30.

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